Keepers of the Flame

Reflecting America's obsession with fire, this encyclopaedic reference work uses anecdotes and material gathered from newspapers, diaries, company records, fiction and music to convey fire imagery in folktales and popular literature, as well as the use of fire in science and industry.

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"For lo! We live in an Iron Age - in the age of steam and fire!" wrote a poet mesmerized by the engines that were transforming American transportation, agriculture and industry during his lifetime. Indeed, by the 19th century fire had become America's motif - for good and for ill. The saying "keeping the flame" was deadly serious: even the slightest lapse of attention could convert a fire from friendly ally to ravaging destroyer. To examine the cultural context of fire in "combustible America", Margaret Hazen and Robert Hazen gather more than a 100 illustrations, together with anecdotes and information from original sources, including newspapers, diaries, company records, popular fiction, art and music. What results is an immensely entertaining and encyclopaedic history that ranges from stories of the tragic "great fires" of the century to fire imagery in folktales and popular literature.